


a child's wide eyes

by clarakent (niewanyin)



Series: Omega Tim Week 2019 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alpha Alfred Pennyworth, Alpha Bruce Wayne, Alpha Lex Luthor, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Gen, Good Parent Alfred Pennyworth, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Omega Tim Drake, Protective Alfred Pennyworth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21509866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niewanyin/pseuds/clarakent
Summary: One dark and stormy night, there's a knock on the door and Alfred's life changes forever.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth
Series: Omega Tim Week 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1549573
Comments: 54
Kudos: 543
Collections: Tim Drake





	a child's wide eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank njw for the beta! And this was written for Day Two, **Marriage**.
> 
> Brief mentions of alpha!Dick, omega!Clark, and beta!Jason, but not enough to tag.
> 
> There's no actual underage rape in the story, but not for lack of trying on Luthor's part.

It’s almost eleven o’clock at night and a storm is raging outside as Alfred settles down with his nighttime tea, the one he enjoys while Bruce is out fighting the criminals of Gotham. It’s his solitary time, his opportunity to decompress from the trials and tribulations of raising and helping Bruce and Dick in their quest to help remove crime from the entirety of New Jersey.

He has just raised the cup to his lips when a pounding on the door begins, and he can’t stop the frustrated sigh from escaping him. He truly does not want to get up, but he doubts that the person at the door would be content to leave when answered only by a simple silence. He stands up, resolved to give them a strict lecture and inform them that they have no business coming to the Manor so late and with such terrible weather.

He throws open the door, mouth open to deliver a blistering insult, only to find himself staring at a young boy, soaking wet and shivering. Small sobs are escaping his mouth, and his black hair is stuck to his face. Alfred supposes he’s about eleven years old, but whatever age he actually is, it’s clear that he’s an absolute child. 

Who also smells like an omega in his presentation heat.

Without even thinking, Alfred ushers him through the door.

The child’s wearing  _ pajamas _ , for goodness’ sake, a Gotham Knights shirt and Batman pajama bottoms. He’s not wearing any shoes or socks, and his feet are caked with mud and blood. He’s wrapping his arms around himself, his shaking even worse now and his breath coming out in jerking sobs.

Alfred just lifts him up in his arms and moves him to the kitchen, where it’s warm and safe. He doesn’t know who this boy is, but he is determined to make sure that he’s fed and cared for. He places the boy in a chair, and runs to the living room to grab a blanket to place around him. The boy just keeps crying.

“What’s your name, child?” he asks. “Do you need me to call anyone?”

The child shakes his head. “N-no. I d-don’t have anyone.”

“Okay,” Alfred says, trying to soothe the poor boy. “Can you at least tell me your name?”

The boy blinks his bright blue eyes at him. “T-Tim Drake.”

Alfred only just barely manages to cover his shock. Tim Drake absolutely should have someone to call. He is the only child of one of the wealthiest families in Gotham. Alfred purses his lips. He also knows that Jack and Janet Drake are omegaist as absolute bloody hell. They would not be pleased in the least to learn that their only child and heir is an omega.

It makes him feel the slightest bit better that Tim only had to run about a half-hour to arrive here at the Manor, but he doesn’t know what could have happened that would have prompted the young boy to run away so quickly from his parents just when he presented.

Alfred sighs and grabs the first-aid kit that he keeps in the kitchen. He moves Tim’s feet up onto another chair, tsking when he sees how utterly destroyed they are. “What happened, my poor boy?”

Tim lets out a few harsh sobs, and then begins to stutter out, “Th-they want to m-marry me o-off.  To L-Lex L-Luthor. Th-they found s-someone as s-s-soon as the m-maid t-told t-them a-about me-e.”

It is all Alfred can do not to rush off to the Drake house to put those pathetic pieces of shit in their fucking places. Tim is only thirteen years old and looks younger, he is in no fit state to be  _ married _ . Omegas are not adults when they enter their first heat, no matter what some idiots try to claim.  Unfortunately, such marriages are still legal, even if they’re becoming more and more frowned upon. Still, a man with Luthor’s wealth would find no doors barred to him whatever ages his wife might be.

“Did you run away when they told you?” Alfred lets that be the only thing that slides from his lips. Tim nods, and tightens the blanket around himself, clearly finished speaking for the night. Alfred just starts to clean the young boy’s bleeding feet, resisting the urge to sigh, and merely grits his teeth instead.

When he finishes cleaning and wrapping Tim’s feet, he looks up. The boy’s eyes are closed, and his head is dropping on his chest. Poor child is almost asleep, if not all the way there. Alfred scans the rest of the boy’s body. Aside from his feet and the fact that he will almost certainly get a cold from the rain outside, he seems to be physically fine, though Alfred is sure his emotional state leaves much to be desired.

“Master Timothy,” he whispers, and Tim makes a small noise. “Do you wish to get changed into something warm, and sleep?”

Tim nods. Alfred can smell the heat coming off him in stronger waves, and Tim curls his body towards Alfred, resting his head in the curve of his neck. Alfred can’t stop the small quirk of his smile. He’s never interacted so much with a young omega. Bruce and Dick were such bull-headed alphas who were adamant about getting through their first rut by themselves, and Jason was edging out of presentation age, more likely a beta than anything.

But the sleepy softness of a young omega is something he’s never really seen, and he feels so grateful that the most basic part of Tim trusts him so deeply already.

He carefully lifts up the small boy, and walks him up the stairs to a guest room. Tim just shuffles and curls up even more against Alfred’s body. “You’re not going to send me back?” he questions in the softest voice.

“No,” Alfred whispers in response. “No, my dear boy, don’t worry. You will never have to go back to such a house again.”

Tim smiles at that, young and bright, and Alfred’s heart aches.

He decides upon a room that is midway between Bruce and Dick’s, and right across from his. He moves Tim carefully out of his wet clothes and dries him off as impersonally as he can as the boy shivers even more with nothing to help him against the cold. He leaves Tim for just a moment on the huge king-size bed to grab some of Bruce and Dick’s clothes, then returns and wraps him in the scents, wanting the boy to recognize them as family as soon as possible. Tim is utterly buried by the time Alfred is done, smiling into the collar of one Dick’s hoodies.

“Thank you,” he mumbles as he presses his face against the pillow. “For helping me.”

“It’s a delight,” Alfred whispers as he tucks in the boy before settling next to his bed. “Now get some rest.”

Tim hasn’t even finished nodding before he obeys.

Alfred watches Tim sleep as he waits for Bruce to come home. He knows that he will have no issue taking in a young child who needs someone to take care of him, but he doesn't know exactly how to tell him.

Though he supposes he can take a page out of Bruce's book and simply let him come downstairs to find Tim eating at the breakfast table and  _ then _ inform him that Tim is now living here.

He is very tempted. At least to see Bruce's face.

He  _ really _ wants to see his face.

But when he hears Bruce leave the Cave, he knows that he will have to find the words.

Tim is sound asleep when Alfred leaves the room, moving to stand in the hallway to meet Bruce. His son is dressed and showered from patrol and looks exhausted, but Alfred knows him well. He is happy right now, and Alfred hopes that at the very least helping Tim and destroying the Drakes will restore his current mood even if the knowledge of what the poor child has endured causes it to temporarily plummet.

Master Bruce stops when he sees him, and the happiness flickers. "Alfred?"

He sighs and opens the door so Bruce can see the boy. Bruce's eyes widen, and he looks at Alfred.

"Tim Drake," Alfred informs him, "just presented as an omega."

"Shit," Bruce whispers. "What the hell did they do?"

"Apparently arranged his marriage  to Lex Luthor ." He can't keep the disgust out of his voice. "Thirteen years old and told he's ready to be a wife. He ran away and came straight here."

Bruce nods. "So they can never see him again." He glances at Alfred out of the corner of his eye, and then looks at Tim and sighs.

"I have a new child now."

Alfred nods. "Yes, you do."

Bruce lips quirk as he says, "I get it from you."

He remembers another rainy night and a crying boy and the knowledge that he  _ could _ leave. He could let this become someone else's problem.

He has never regretted staying.

Bruce was the first child who lived at the Manor who needed love and care, and what makes Alfred proudest out of all the amazing things about his son is how eager and willing he is to give that love and care to others.

"Yes you did."

Bruce slowly walks into the room, and brushes a lock of hair out of Tim's face. "Poor kid's exhausted," he whispers when Tim doesn't even stir. "How long has he been sleeping?"

"About a half-hour," Alfred responds. "Went out like a light as soon as I brought him upstairs and had him tucked in."

Bruce nods. He has not stopped touching Tim, his hand now carding through the child's hair while Tim sleeps soundly underneath it. He is starting to nuzzle his face into Bruce's broad palm, and his son’s lips quirks with a smile. "Do you think we should tell Dick?"

Alfred frowns. Dick had not taken the arrival of Jason very well, but Jason was also not a terrified omega running away from an arranged marriage. Additionally, Tim is not replacing Robin. "Do you truly intend to take Tim in? We cannot hide him, nor should we, in that case. And besides, I highly doubt that Dick will demand we turn Tim out on the street."

He looks at the sleeping child. Yes, he knows that Dick will not care about Tim living at the Manor. "You should call him tomorrow," Alfred says. "But for tonight, let the child sleep."

Bruce nods. "You're right."

"I will say that you should call the lawyers tonight, though. We don't want the Drakes to have any sort of claim on Tim longer than they have to."

Bruce smiles. "You've really latched onto this child, haven't you?"

Alfred sniffs. "He clearly needs us." He then frowns. "Does he look cold to you?"

"Alfred," Bruce warns.

"I think he needs more blankets." Tim already has five on him, but what's the harm in more? "Master Bruce, stay here while I get him more blankets."

"Alfred! He is  _ fine _ . You're just worrying right now. He's fine, and you should get some rest. Let me take care of him right now."

Perhaps he has a point, but Alfred doesn't want to leave the boy alone.

But Bruce knows him too well. "I won't leave him alone," he whispers.

Alfred gives a deep sigh. "Very well. I will attempt to get  _ some _ rest."

"Good," Bruce says. "You clearly need it."

Honestly, he's so pushy and Alfred has absolutely no idea where he got it from.

He leaves Tim's room, but he's not even at the end of the hallway before he hears Bruce's phone on the voice, calling his custody lawyer and informing about the new child he's gained. He doesn't bother stopping the smile on his face.

*

Alfred wakes up only a few hours later. Tim is still asleep, and Bruce is fast asleep on a cot next to Tim's bed, pulled out of some closet. His son only got one blanket for himself, and Alfred tsks as he pulls out three more to cover up Bruce. Honestly, where would these boys be without him?

Cold. That's what they would be.  _ Incredibly _ cold.

After he makes sure that both of them are warm (he digs up more blankets for Tim—with all due respect to Bruce, he could have sworn he saw a shiver and he wants to make sure that he's as warm as can be), Alfred goes downstairs to begin making breakfast. He doesn't know what young boys like to eat in their first heats, if they want everything or nothing, but Alfred aims to make sure that Tim will have nutritious options to eat when he wakes up. He should also make sure that he has enough of Dick's favorite foods made for when he comes down from Bludhaven to meet his new brother.

Alfred has always had the ability to lose himself in the kitchen, and before he knows it, Bruce is stumbling down the stairs and the sun is high in the sky. "Good morning," he says, his customary greeting, and Bruce gives  _ his _ customary grunt.

"How are you feeling today, Master Bruce?"

Bruce doesn't respond until he's found the coffee pot and poured himself a big cup, gulping it down despite the fact that it's far too hot. How can he honestly bear to drink it that hot? Alfred swears that he will never understand his son, not truly.

"I'm living," Bruce mutters when he finishes drinking the coffee. "Back hurts, but nothing too bad. Tim is still asleep. I seriously think that kid's going to sleep for almost twenty-four hours."

"Good," Alfred stresses. "I'm sure he needs it. Heats take a lot out of children."

Bruce nods. "Yeah, I'm calling Clark later. I have no rulebook for this, and I'm just hoping that he can help."

Alfred hesitates. He knows a little about Clark Kent's relationship with Lex Luthor. He knows that it was not good. "Do you think. . . ? Does Mister Kent know that I'm aware of Conner?"

Bruce nods wearily. "He knows I informed you. But I doubt he knows of Lex Luthor's plot to marry a thirteen year old."

Alfred is aware that Mister Kent was fifteen years old when he was raped by Lex Luthor, sixteen when he gave birth to his first child. He does not know much about the resulting child, who is growing up in Smallville thinking that his biological mother is his brother for reasons that Alfred has never dared ask. He will not shame Clark or Martha Kent by judging him on things which he had to do to help both himself and his child live the best life.

"What do you think he will do?" Alfred asks. Bruce shrugs.

"I can't guess. I don't want to. I've offered to help him take legal action on Lex Luthor before, but he's been very clear that he doesn't want it. But in this case. . . . It's only right to tell him before I do anything. I don't know what could possibly come up in this case, and I want to know what I will need to keep away."

“And if you can’t keep something away?”

Bruce looks down at his coffee mug. “I suppose that I will need to make a choice.”

Alfred sighs. “I suppose that Mister Kent will understand?”

“Alfred, you don’t know Clark if you think he would ever let me choose him over someone else. I love the man more than I think I could love any brother, and that’s one of the reasons why.”

Alfred smiles as he moves on to the pancakes. “Yes, Master Bruce, you have a very good point.”

Bruce nods, and then briskly changes the subject. “Have you called Dick yet?”

“No, I was thinking that perhaps that was a conversation best left to you.” Alfred turns to look at Bruce. “And I was also thinking that perhaps we should wait until after we’ve talked to Master Timothy about gaining custody of him.”

Bruce’s eyes widened. “Do you think he won’t want us to take him in?”

Alfred frowns. He hadn’t considered that possibility. “I was rather thinking about telling Master Timothy that we simply wanted to take care of him. Do you think he won’t want us to take him in?”

Bruce shakes his head, trying to clear the thought from his head. “It’s not like he can go back to the Drakes. It’s either us or the state.”

“And if he chooses the state?”

“He ran here for a reason,” Bruce points out. “It might have been because we were neighbors, but he trusted us enough for this.”

Alfred nods. Bruce has a good point, but the doubt niggles at his mind.

*

It’s three o’clock in the afternoon before Tim wakes up. Alfred is beating Bruce in War for the fifth time in a row when Tim stirs and opens his eyes. He blinks in confusion at them, and then sits up like a shot, eyes wide and breath picking up in panic.

Alfred is already by his side, rubbing his back. “Shh,” he whispers. “You’re alright, child.”

Bruce kneels in front of Tim. “Tim, take a deep breath,” he commands gently. “You’re okay. Do you remember what happened?”

Tim nods. “I-I ran away from my home.”

“You said that your parents were forcing you to marry Lex Luthor,” Bruce states. “And that’s why you ran away.”

The young omega’s face crumples. “I don’t want to get married,” he whispers. “Please don’t make me get married.  Luthor was  _ there. _ He was talking about- It was going to happen this  _ weekend _ . ”

Bruce’s face ticks. “You will absolutely not have to get married. You are thirteen years old and you should enjoy your childhood. That’s why I've been talking to lawyers just now to get you removed from your parents’ custody and into mine.” Tim’s eyes jerk open wide at that. “You should not be under the care of people who treat you so cruelly.”

Tim takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “No, no, I can’t let you do that.”

Bruce and Alfred share a frown. “What do you mean?”

Tim is shaking in Alfred’s arms, and as much as he would love to blame the cold, he doesn’t think he can. “I don’t have anything to offer you.”

Alfred would love to wrap his hands around the Drakes’ necks and  _ wring _ them. Bruce is clearly thinking along the same lines, but he manages to tamp it down enough to tell Tim, “Tim, you don’t have to offer anything for us to take you in. You’re a person and you need our help.”

Tim’s wide blue eyes are looking at Bruce. “You mean that?” he asks.

Bruce nods. “I really do. It’s not out of obligation, it’s because I  _ want _ to help you.”

Tim’s eyes well up, and then in a rush of words, he says something that Alfred never in a million years would have expected him to say.

“I figured out that you were Batman when I was nine years old. It wasn’t hard, Robin did quadruple somersaults just like Dick Grayson did and he’s the only person in Gotham who could have done them and when he was the only person who could be Robin, it means that you’re the only person who could Batman and please don’t be mad at me, I  _ swear _ I never told anyone about you, I just would sometimes follow you around to take pictures because you’re amazing and I love you and you’re my hero and that’s why I came here last night even though I probably shouldn’t have bothered you like that.”

Tim is panting after that confession, and Alfred is looked at Bruce with shocked eyes. Bruce has all his attention focused on Tim. “Are you okay?”

Tim nods.

“Good.” Bruce nods brusquely. “Now listen to me when I tell you that I’m very impressed you figured it out and we will definitely be discussing that later. But I’m not going to kick you out for figuring that out or for being so good that I didn’t realize you were following me. Do you understand?”

Tim nods in a daze. “Good, I’m glad to see that we’re on the same page as that.”

“Now, we’re going to talk about you staying with us, and you’re going to be treated like both a child and a human being, do you understand? You are thirteen years old and you will not be made to marry and I will make sure you feel safe, do you understand?”

Tim nods, and Alfred actually thinks the boy gets it. Or at least he hopes he does.

But there’s still one thing that he needs to do.

*

Bruce Wayne cannot be a threatening man. There is no way around it, he just cannot be. If he reveals his anger, then he risks the chance of revealing that he’s Batman. Such a thing cannot happen.  Even though he desperately wants to with both Drake and Luthor lawyers sniffing around for custody. The Drakes were easily swayed to leave Tim alone if Bruce bankrolled a few archeological digs, and Alfred is looking forward to seeing just how Bruce plans to make them absolute hell for the bastards. But Luthor? He’s a tenacious man, and he clearly wants Tim.

Bruce can only attack the man with the law.

But Alfred Pennyworth is well-known to be a military man, or at the very least, his military service is a matter of public record.  He can do much more.

Which is why he has no compunction about showing up at Lex Luthor’s office in Gotham, pounding on the door. Lex looks up, a disgusting smirk on his face. It won’t last long.

Alfred was Batman’s first teacher, after all. He strides over to his desk and bodily lifts Lex out of his chair, pinning him against the wall.

Beautifully, fear actually flickers across his face.

“Listen here, you pathetic piece of shit,” Alfred snarls in his face. “You will leave Timothy Drake alone. He is a thirteen year old child, not a potential wife. You will not come after him. You will not try to get custody of him. You will  _ never _ have anything to do with him because you are not fit to even look at him. And if you  _ ever _ try to get in contact with him, if you ever try to make him feel uncomfortable, I will find out about it.” Lex opens his mouth to speak, but Alfred hits him against the wall again, stunning him. “I know Batman does not kill, but he is not the only one who lives in this city. I have put down many a man who were better than you, and I will not hesitate to put you down as well. I just need a fucking reason.”

He drops Lex Luthor on the ground, and the pathetic man is actually shaking in fear.

Alfred smiles. He got the message.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm salazarastark on tumblr as well, so follow me [here](https://salazarastark.tumblr.com/)! I'm not as active as I'd like to be, but I'm always up for talking about my fics or anything else!


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